The Most Wonderful Time of Year
by castlechuckbones
Summary: It's winter time and the holidays are approaching. When Beckett gets a call to report a murder, it will send Castle's world upside down. Kated K for now, might go up to T. REad and Review please!
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: Do not own Castle. Would love it if i did, but i don't!

Dedicated to my friends at the ABC boards: Nerwen Aldarion, EmmaLeeLove, Mandier2, Jangiefan, iCaskett, QueenoftheCastle1021, Number1Castlefan1227, Blueslurpii, and everyone else! Also, to the people who LOVE castle and LOVE Christmas like me.

Detective Kate Beckett was sitting at her desk staring at the file. They just wrapped up a case in which a teenager was killed during a drug bust. After grilling the suspect's girlfriend, the girlfriend confessed in sobs that she pushed him down the stairs and he hit his head and died. She looked outside those tall vertical windows that showed a light drizzle of snow. The precinct was in good spirits for the winter holidays, but Kate Beckett was quite the opposite. Each year there was a Secret Santa throughout the homicide department at the 12th. _Please, do not Esposito pull my name out of that basket_ she thought. Last year, Kate Beckett put on her piece of paper that she did NOT want anything. _Christmas is a time for people to find great opportunities for murder not gifts _she thought. But Esposito gave her a bottle of his homemade egnog. Naturally, she thanked him and to be polite she drank it. What she did not know, was that Esposito put alcohol in it. She made him do desk duty for two weeks.

"Well look how nice this is." She looked up to see Richard Castle walking towards her with a cup of coffee in his hand. She took it from him gratefully and tasted the sweet, bitter flavor of-

"Castle, what the hell!" she spit out eggnog from her mouth. Unfortunately, she jerked her hand up and spilled the rest of the eggnog on herself. She looked up and glared at Castle.

"It was a surprise that was supposed to make you happy…not mad." Castle gulped as Beckett stood up, striding to the bathroom. Castle breathed a sigh of relief. Ryan and Esposito came wheeling towards him. Esposito stopped and stopped Ryan as he almost headed into the desk.

"Sup, bro?" Esposito looked as Beckett's desk. It was covered with the remnants of her eggnog "well it looks like you made her scream."

"More like yelp, but I'm working on it." Castle winked and the two detectives wheeled themselves back to their chair. Beckett came walking past them, and gave Castle an icy stare.

"I'm sorry. Can I make it- WOAH what are you wearing?" Castle looked at Beckett, his mouth open. Beckett was wearing a tank top. She bent down and pulled a sweatshirt from underneath her desk where she kept her spare jacket.

"Well, if someone got me coffee and didn't make me spill eggnog all over my shirt, I wouldn't look so ridiculous!"

"Someone's in a bad mood."

"Well, eggnog isn't making my day any better. Great! I even smell like it."

"Calm down."

"Don't tell me to calm down."

"Yes."

"No."

"Beckett."

"What?" they both stared at Ryan who approached the desk. "We got a murder over at Niemen Marcus."

"Why didn't I get called?"

"Did you check your cell phone?"

"No."

"There's your answer. The snows made the electricity go out. We're running on a generator."

"Thanks Ryan. Let's go Castle."

They drove in silence. When they reached Niemen Marcus, they saw cops all over the place. Beckett and Castle ducked under the yellow crime scene tape and saw the body.

"Ho-ho-no," Castle muttered as he saw the body. There was a man dressed like Santa Claus's elf lying in a pool of blood. His eyes were sullen and looking up at the ceiling. The man could not be more than 40 years old. "Looks like someone was about to get coal in their stocking."

"Shut it Castle." Beckett rolled her eyes, but for a split second, she smile ever so slightly, confirming she was indeed humored. They walked towards Dr. Lainie Parish and knelt down besides her. As Castle bent down, his face got suddenly pale and he lost his balance.

"Woah, you alright there Castle?" Beckett asked, her face full of concern.

"I-I-I-I know him." And for the first time in his life, Castle saw black.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer:i don't own Castle...at all...nada...zipp...

Author's note: Hi guys! thanks for being patient! tell me how this one is. If you like it, hate it, let me know :) A BIG thanks to the ABC board friends :) thank you guyss :)

Hope you like Chapter 2!

When Castle woke up, he found himself in the back of Beckett's car, lying down, with Ryan looking at him.

"Ah, he's awake. Beckett was worried," he winked at Castle before continuing, "So whose they elf? A friend? Santa's helper? Did he just drop from the North Pole?" Castle tried to sit up, but Ryan gently pushed him back down. "Woah there, don't want to collapse again now, don't we. So who's the guy?"

"He's- he was my—oh god is he really dead?" Castle looked at Ryan, pleading for him to say no.

"Castle, I can't confirm anything until you tell me who he is." Ryan looked at Castle, sympathy shining in his eyes.

"He and I went to college together. We were frat brothers. We enlisted in the army together when we were 21. Please tell me he's not dead." Castle looked at Ryan, but Ryan was too busy looking at Castle, a huge look of shock in his face.

"You were in the army?"

"Yes, I did an 18 month tour with Casey."

"So the vic's name is Casey?"

"Yes, Casey Remblem. May I see the body? And where's Beckett?"

"Beckett's with Lainie, going over the COD and the approximate TOD. I have strict orders to not make you-"

"Castle?" Beckett came striding over to him. "Are you okay? Do you know the victim? What can you tell us about him? How do you know the victim? Are-"

"Beckett, slow down there girl, the guy just fainted, give him a break." Lainie looked over at Castle, but she too had a questioning glance towards him.

"He-he-he-" Castle then looked at Beckett, tears trickling down his face. _I wasn't taught to cry, I was taught to be strong_ he thought before continuing. "He and I went to college together. Then after, we enlisted in the army together. His name is Casey Remblem, at least I think."

"You think? How do you not know?" Beckett shot Castle a glare, not sure if he would start laughing saying it's a joke. It wasn't.

"No," Castle continued, "after the tour was over, I went into writing again and he became a CIA agent or an FBI agent. I can't remember which one anymore. He went deep undercover about ten years ago. Alexis was devastated. Her favorite "uncle" would no longer come to visit. I- oh man, how will I explain this to Alexis?"

"Beckett looked at Ryan and then shot a glance at Castle. "Come on Castle, let's get back to the precinct. Lainie started to head back already. Now Castle, are you SURE you can handle this?"

"Handle this? I need to take this dirt bag who killed my best friend down. Of course I can handle this." Castle wiped the tears hastily from his eyes and strode towards the passenger seat of the car, the snow creating a small dusting on his head.

The ride back to the precinct was awkwardly quiet. Beckett kept sneaking glances at Castle, who was staring at the snow falling slowly outside.

"So," Beckett said, trying to desperately make a conversation, "you were in the army? It wasn't in your personal section of the Richard Castle website."

"No," he said quietly, "I keep that part of my life in the back of my head. I choose not to relive those memories. I was born to write those scenes, not witness them. Case, well Case was opposite of me. He loved the thought of becoming a soldier. He never would stray from his country. He wouldn't hurt anyone who was born on American soil. Why did this happen to him, WHY!" Castle's voice rose into hysterics.

"Castle, shh, we'll find the person who did this to him."

"He-he had a wife, Julie. I don't even know if they got divorced, hell I don't know if she even became a cop like she wanted to. "Castle sighed and stared out the window again, a tear making its way down his cheek.

"Do you know how to contact-"

"DO I KNOW HOW TO CONTACT HIS WIFE? Is that what you're going to ask me, Beckett? I told you, I haven't spoken to them in 10 years. I don't know his cell phone number, I don't know if he's still married, I don't remember if he and Julie were expecting a baby because I've not talked to them since 2000! Do you think I know his phone number?" Becket shrunk back a bit from his verbal abuse. She never thought he could yell like that. She has never seen him upset. She's never seen him raise his voice beyond a normal level. RING! RING! Her cell phone started ringing. She looked over at Castle and she saw him give a look of defeat.

"Beckett."

"Girl, you have to come to the morgue immediately!" Lainie sounded excited, "NOW."

"Lainie, I'm in traffic. It's December, give me a bit of slack. But I'll be over in about ten minutes."

Castle looked at Beckett and asked, "What did Lainie have to say?"

"I'm not sure, but by the sound of her voice, she found something useful."

"Alright, let's go."


End file.
